Angels
by Skye101
Summary: With blinding light, the avenging angels came down from heaven and stripped me of my wings. And now I am fallen. - Ezrael, R
1. Prologue 1

_**Prologue 1**_

An old, white mansion stood on the outskirts of a small English town. Inside, a young man sat in front of a desk, his head bent over a piece of parchment. His hand was furiously scribbling words with a feather quill.

_31st of October 1816_

_Journal Entry #5_

_Today I talked to Amiel. It was the second time we'd met since I arrived here on Earth. I tried hard to convince him to understand, but he stubbornly stuck to his beliefs and newfound principles. In fact, he still continues to see that woman from the next town. _

_I've tried my best to tell him that he might produce something which could become a threat to all worlds, both human and heavenly, yet he refuses to listen. He says that he can control himself, and that there is much more to be done here rather than anywhere else. _

_He also talked about how he fell from heaven, and why he believed that being fallen did not automatically brand you as something repulsive. There was still a matter of choice left. I could not comprehend him completely though. Much of the matters and ideologies on earth are still confusing to me. On the other hand, Amiel seems to have become a sudden expert on them._

_His stubborn ideas are starting to frustrate me, something which I have never experienced before._

* * *

_13th of November 1816_

_Journal Entry #9_

_Nephilim. The immortal offspring of fallen angels and humans. I had heard of them once before, many centuries after The Great Fall. The other angels didn't know how to rid the world of them since they pose as a threat to the human race, Camael had told me in his visit. He said it was a hard decision they had to make, choosing between Amiel's and the humans' welfare._

_Amiel seemed to have borne a Nephilim to a human woman years ago. Since he had now made two grave mistakes over the years, it has been decided that he would be eternally punished as a demon in the fiery depths of Hell. My heart saddened at the thought._

_I had seen the powerful Nephilim boy. He had a temper that could shake the earth in its intensity. But when his father was by his side, the wild thrashing waves would subside and turn into a calm sea. It was fascinating to watch how Amiel was so gentle and loving to his seven-year-old son. I couldn't let them take him away._

_Before I changed my mind, I told Camael, "Punish me in his place." The Chief Angel of Powers looked me straight in the eye. He was surprised and so was I at my decision. _

"_No matter what you do, he will not go unpunished."_

"_I remain firm in my decision, as long as he is not cast into the depths of Hell. We are both angels, we are brothers, and I have a duty to him."_

_"You are noble, Ezrael. So be it", said Camael._

_With blinding light, the avenging angels came down from heaven and stripped me of my wings. _

_And now I am fallen._


	2. Prologue 2

_**Prologue 2**_

_Layre Academy (Worcestershire, England)_

_Present Day_

Rain poured endlessly outdoors.

Miss Victoria Cypress watched the drizzle through a glass window as she stood regally by two ornately carved, enormous French doors, holding a dark black clipboard under one arm. Her crisp white turtleneck blouse showed not even the slightest crease, and her black slacks were completely immaculate. Uttering a small cough, she adjusted her glasses, cast a look at the Rolex watch on her bony wrist, and glanced at her reflection in the mirror across the hall, taking care to see if her delicately coiffed auburn hair was still in place. Perfect.

Two minutes to go.

This was the second semester of Victoria's twelfth year working at Layre Academy and she was determined to do her job well. She had been secretary to the late William Layre Sr. for nine years, and when he passed away, she still retained her position under William Layre Jr. who inherited the title of principal.

Layre Academy was not just any school—it was an educational institution solely for the society's elite. It had served the crème de la cream of the crop for 35 years and still continued to do so. Of course, in order to dish out this kind of service, the faculty and staff had to be exceptional. Exceptional meant exceptional. Victoria was in fact proud to be secretary.

Another glance went to the Rolex. One more minute.

Victoria, or rather Miss Cypress as the students called her, did not only attend to her secretarial duties. Ever since William Sr. died and Junior took his place, Layre had become a little lax in the way it was run, which immediately sent warning signals to Victoria's brain, telling her that this was not right. Taking matters into her own hands, she had fraternized and spent more time with the students, trying to bring back the old discipline and order.

Fortunately, most of the learners proved to be cooperative, courteous even. She was glad that they willingly saw the importance of her aims. Well, except for a couple of particular students. And it so happened that she was waiting for some of them at the door. As soon as her Rolex struck 7:31 am, she smiled to herself. Not only Kieran Sterling but also Jace Wolfe was officially late. And on the first day of the second semester to boot. This was good news. Victoria actually had a reason to discipline the girl, who had a special talent for talking her way through trouble. She couldn't wait.

Tapping a foot impatiently on the marble-tiled floor, she also made a mental note to later reprimand the security guard who had started to doze off.

But Miss Wolfe's disciplinary measures had to come first.

Within a minute, Miss Cypress's patience was rewarded. The sound of rushing footsteps neared, and the oaken French doors burst open to make way for a raven-haired girl who was slightly out of breath from running. Her hair, uniform and bag were wet from the rain, but not to the point that water dripped from them. The girl started to rush towards the auditorium where the opening ceremony was to be held, but her hazel eyes flitted around the room and saw the secretary standing there, eyes trained on her.

The girl stopped in her tracks and turned towards Victoria. "Good morning Miss Cypress," she said with a light smile. "Aren't you going to be at the opening ceremony?"

"Supposedly, Miss Wolfe, but I can hardly be there while students run in here late without anyone to see to it that they are given a disciplinary measure, can I?" Victoria's glasses flashed in the sunlight.

Jace smiled, giving no hint at all of being offended. "Of course Miss Cypress. That is only proper for a _secretary_ to do, disciplining the students. Unfortunately, I have to cut our conversation short; the opening ceremony will be starting and I have to be there. Till next time." She turned to go.

"Jordan Cassandra Wolfe," Victoria said in a louder tone. "I haven't finished speaking with you. Secretary or not, as someone who is well-versed with the rules in Layre, I am obliged to send you to the Office of Student Affairs to ask for your tardy slip. Please do so."

The smile in Jace's face never faded. "I once again commend you for your steadfast dedication for the rules, Miss Cypress, but I'm sorry to insist that you _must_ let me run to the auditorium. The opening ceremony can't start without me, I'm afraid. You see, I was tasked by Principal Layre himself to play the school hymn on the piano to open the semester. The whole school might be sitting there at this very moment, impatiently waiting for me. If I'm already late, I can't afford to be later."

Well, Victoria had no answer to that one. And this happened a lot often when she talked to Jace Wolfe. Frowning, she was forced to watch silently as Jace made her way to the auditorium. That was the trouble with the girl. She took advantage of the fact that she was musical extraordinaire at Layre, well-applauded and admired.

As Jace disappeared from view, Victoria turned and swatted her clipboard against the snoring security guard's arm. He woke up with a jolt and frantically looked around.

Victoria sighed and rubbed her temples. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Summer Evers was silent in her seat while everyone around her was talking to somebody else. She was not one to have uber-sensitive hearing but she could barely hear herself think because the acoustics in the auditorium made it impossible to lower those distinct European, American and Asian voices to a buzz. It was both a culture-shock and a nuisance at the same time.

"Keep your head together. Don't rush things. Remember, it's just your first day," her great-aunt had said to her that morning, the old maid's withered hands on her slightly flushed cheeks. Then, the seventy-three year old Lady Cordelia Evers rode the limo to downtown London for a breakfast meeting with her editor in one of the infamous restaurants.

She flipped a lock of her curly dark-brown hair over her shoulder. Being the new kid in the neighborhood may have its perks, but sitting quite alone in a sea of chatterboxes certainly wasn't one of them. _Okay, maybe not everyone_, she reconsidered.

There seemed to be a persistent dark cloud on her right side. The guy was clad in the men's version of the school uniform but he had an aura about him that was anything but ordinary. He was fair and dark and brooding at the same time. His grey eyes were fixed impeccably in front of him and she swore that the entire time they had sat beside each other, she never saw them move a fraction of an inch. It was like he had a world of his own amidst the noisy babble of over-excited students.

_Striking a conversation would be better than nothing_, she thought. Before she changed her mind, Summer turned to him and conspicuously cleared her throat. "Hi, I'm Summer", she introduced with a smile, holding out her hand.

The guy openly gave her the once over, and then slowly shook her hand after scrutinizing it as if it had grown an extra thumb. "Hi", he said, after a few silent seconds, giving the smallest of smiles. Then he went back to staring in front of him.

_Riiight_, Summer thought. So this was Layre's idea of socialization.

A sudden movement caught her eye.

Another student was hurrying onto the stage where a grand piano had been set up. The girl wasn't even bothered that she was wet from the rain outside as she looked at Principal Layre who seemed to sigh in relief as he straightened himself in his seat in the front row. One of the teachers then stood up and approached the microphone to tell everyone to join in singing the school hymn.

Out of the corner of her eye, Summer saw the woman who had briefed her on the school rules and regulations when she had enrolled: Miss Cypress, the secretary who seemed more like a supervisor. She looked rather flustered and Summer tore her eyes away, picking up her copy of the lyrics so she could sing along. The dampened student was now playing beautifully. The auditorium walls echoed the singing. It was actually quite enjoyable to hear everyone sing.

Just then, in the middle of the second chorus, the enormous doors burst open with a bang. Everything stopped.

As she heard the collective sigh of the female population in the room, she strained to see the rude newcomer. He had dirty blond hair with more than several streaks of black, a black bag, and he was wearing the white undershirt untucked without the prescribed vest. All of him were dripping wet and was starting to form a puddle on the floor.

He had an easy-going smile plastered on his face. He started walking down the aisle to find his seat when the intimidating secretary, Miss Cypress, stood in front of him with her hands on her chest. "Mr. Sterling", she started, with anything but a hiss. "Are you aware –"

"Oh yes, yes, Miss Cypress", he cut in without a hint of apology in his tone. "I'm _so_ sorry. You won't have to worry about my clothes dripping on the seats and the floor. I'll take everything off right now," he added, hastily unbuttoning his undershirt in front of the whole school, exposing a very well-defined chest.

The swooning was immediately deafening and Summer was so sure Miss Cypress had more than a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Mr. Sterling!" the secretary exclaimed, scandalized now that he had pointedly taken his shirt off. "See me in the office, the moment this ceremony is dismissed!" Without another word, she walked away haughtily. With that, the pianist resumed her playing and after a few bars, everyone once again joined in the song.

Summer kept a smile to herself and looked at the pianist, who also looked as though she wanted to burst out laughing. The rest of the female population however was red in the face, and Summer could even see some who were on the verge of hyperventilating. Was it really going to be like this until the year ends?

Her emerald eyes turned to Mr. Anti-social beside her, and she was rather surprised to see that he had a serious, grim expression on his face. Not wanting to examine him further when he was looking like hell, she swept her gaze back towards Miss Cypress's enemy who had stuck to his word and was now walking shirtless towards a seat a few rows back from where she sat.

Without warning, he suddenly looked up and both of their eyes met. Summer found that she could not tear her gaze away from his. Slowly, the grin that had been playing on his lips started to fade, and she felt a strange sensation flood her chest. Hastily, she forced herself to withdraw her eyes.

The song ended, and the principal stood up for the welcome speech to open the second semester.

Outside, it continued to rain.


	3. Chapter 1

**1**

_When people think of angels, they think flowing robes and halos._

_But in the Bible, they also look like ordinary people. Why not today?_

_(Joan Wester Anderson, In the Arms of Angels)_

**Kieran**

This was quite entertaining.

I tried hard to stifle the chuckles that threatened to break free from my throat. In front of me, the school's prim and proper secretary widened her eyes and clutched her chest, uttering a gasp while I unbuttoned my undershirt and took it off. While I did so, I shook my head, causing my wet hair to sprinkle a few drops of water on her glasses.

She muttered soft curses under her breath—directed towards me, of course, but I could swear that a red flush had actually crept up to her neck and traveled to her ears.

Poor Miss Cypress. She's probably never had a boyfriend ever. Then again, who wants to go out with a stuck-up prick who thinks that dating in the 21st century should be synonymous to courting during the 1800's?

I could hear the sighs and giggles that erupted from the female population of Layre. Putting a grin on my face when it was a laugh that wanted to escape, I slung my wet undershirt over my shoulder and walked towards an empty seat. Yes, I knew that water droplets still clung to my skin, particularly on my bare chest. I also became aware that the temperature of the room rose up a single notch.

Well, it was their issue, not mine.

As my gaze wandered all over the hall, they caught the eyes of a girl I'd never seen before. Our stares locked, and I suddenly felt an icy feeling creeping on my chest. Although I had no idea who she was, I could swear that I had seen those exact same eyes before—I just couldn't remember when. The memory of those emerald green eyes was enough to wipe any trace of a smile left on my face. Unluckily, the girl must have noticed the change in my demeanor, because she abruptly looked away. I stashed the incident away at the back of my mind.

Principal Layre then began the dreaded opening speech which everyone was bound to ignore.

Once the agony of it all finally ended, everyone got up in a flurry of sound and swarmed out of the auditorium. Knowing that going straight to class would be useless since teachers were unlikely to conduct proper classes on the first day, I languidly rose from my seat and chose instead to deal with the disciplinary thrashing of the _charming _Miss Cypress in her office. 'Creative' negotiation with her would be better than sitting dully on my chair in class.

Naturally, I had absolutely no plan to put my shirt back on.

* * *

I made my way through the corridors towards the secretary's office located at the east side of the building. As I clambered up the stairs, I also saw the pianist who had accompanied the school hymn; I sort of knew her—we'd had a few classes together the last semester. She looked agitated.

I grinned. "Morning, Wolfe," I called out. "Tardy slip?"

She whipped around. "Oh. Kieran."

Jace never called anyone by their last name, except the faculty and staff. Under the normal conditions, this would seem too personal for someone who was merely an acquaintance, but in my case, I allowed her this chance to do so. Basically, it was because she annoyed Miss Cypress as much as I did, and it was a breath of fresh air compared to the other students who merely sucked up to the secretary, though it was obvious that the secretary winded them up.

"I'm surprised you actually came up here to claim your slip," I continued amiably. "I would have thought that you'd ignore it."

"And I was expecting Miss Cypress to grovel on your feet when you took your shirt off. Pity she only blushed." Jace grinned.

"Oh, she would have," I replied nonchalantly. "She just ran away to stop herself from the sheer humiliation of what she calls 'improper conduct'."

She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Yeah? You think so? We'd better go and see then, considering that you haven't put any shirt on."

"I tell you Wolfe, Miss Victoria Cypress would be—"

"Would be _what_, Mr. Sterling?" a voice behind us erupted.

Together, Jace and I turned around, sporting the most angelic faces we could muster. "Miss Cypress!" I feigned innocence. "Miss Wolfe and I were just talking about you."

Miss Cypress scowled at me. "I'm sure I don't need to be told that, with the way you were going to explicitly express something with my name involved. And put your shirt back on. It's indecent and against school regulations to be walking around half-naked. "

"But Miss Cypress," I reasoned out. "My shirt's still soaked."

"I don't care!" she snapped. "You're bound to attract the wrong kind of attention. Besides, what will others say when they learn of Layre's solitary student who enjoys flaunting his chest in broad daylight?"

"I would say that Layre has a _very_ open-minded and democratic system," I said seriously, at the same time Jace retorted, "I thought that staff members encouraging students to catch hypothermia was against the rules."

I could swear that the vein in Miss Cypress's neck was on the verge of bursting. "Miss Wolfe, here is your tardy slip. If I ever hear you implying such insults again, I will not hesitate to land you in detention." She placed the slip on Jace's palm and turned to me. "Mr. Sterling, we will need to talk further. In my office, _now._"

"Sure, Miss Cypress," I winked at Jace who was rolling her eyes. Then I went inside the office to _talk further_.

The door opened, we went in, and nice surprise: who should I see but the emerald-eyed curly-haired brunette who had held my gaze moments ago in the auditorium. The familiar feeling of déjà vu seeped once more into my system. She was wearing the prescribed uniform, with her gloved hands were on her lap and her prescribed book bag on the floor. She looked like a porcelain doll on display – beautiful yet breakable.

Before I could register my shock, Miss Cypress started talking. "Miss Evers, it's very kind of you to drop by my office. Especially when my day started with a headache. Two of them, in fact," she added, glancing at me icily.

"It isn't a problem at all, Miss Cypress," the girl replied quietly. I saw her hesitate for the tiniest moment, then she sent a small smile my way.

I suddenly couldn't believe that I was becoming conscious of my half-naked state. Seriously, this wasn't supposed to happen. At all.

"Mr. Sterling," the secretary interrupted my thoughts, "I have the pleasure of introducing you to Miss Summer Evers. She's a transfer student who came from America and recently moved here. She currently stays with her great-aunt, the Lady Cordelia Evers, who continues to write a well-read magazine column even at the age of seventy three. Not that I expect you to be knowledgeable in the field of academic pursuits, of course." She added and gestured for us to take a seat.

Without thinking and without even knowing _why_, I rapidly opened my bag and got out my wet undershirt, putting it on. Miss Cypress raised an eyebrow and turned to the girl, "Ah, my dear, it would seem that you have a positive effect on Mr. Sterling _who needs it_."

I ignored her and concentrated on buttoning my shirt. "So, Miss… Summers, isn't it?"

"It's Evers. Summer is my first name," she replied calmly.

I looked up and saw amusement dancing in her eyes. A hot flush started to creep its way up to my neck. I _almost_ felt sorry then for the way Miss Cypress must have felt back then in the auditorium. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant Evers of course. So, where did you come from in America, Miss Evers?" I was now relying on my natural charm for small talk—I hoped it worked.

"Southern California."

"Wow. I heard it gets pretty hard there during winter. They use snow plows to get to school, don't they?"

"Actually, it doesn't snow in Southern California."

"Oh. I meant—"

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Mr. Sterling," Miss Cypress reproved. "You are here for your disciplinary measure, and Miss Evers is here because I needed to decide who to assign as her tour guide. Naturally, since you are already here and considering the positive upshot Miss Evers has on you, you would do well to spend more time with her during the upcoming days."

I was aware of the growing horror on my face. Having someone to tag behind me was not one of the reasons why I came to school.

"You will escort her to her first class of the day, accompany her to the cafeteria during lunchtime, and lead her to the library when she desires to," she continued, and turned to Summer Evers. "I think you'll find that we have a quite large collection of books and manuscripts here, Miss Evers. I read your record from your school in America and gathered that you have a profound thirst for knowledge that others lack. _Very_ exceptional grades. Mr. Sterling here would do well to take a leaf out of your book." She then clasped her hands together and looked at each of us. "So that's it, then? Are there anymore concerns?"

I grudgingly raised a hand. "I've got one. Isn't it supposed to be the principal's job to designate tour guides for new students and welcome them? Why are we in the secretary's office?"

"For goodness' sake, Mr. Sterling, please do not make my headache any worse than it is. Miss Evers, I wouldn't want to be rude, but I need to usher this boy out as soon as possible. I believe I can't take another word of his idiosyncrasies. Feel free to see me anytime you want. A good day to you." With that, she walked us to the door and closed it in our faces, leaving us standing alone.

So. I was the guy. I had to make the first move.

"You can call me Summer." She beat me to it. "And you really don't have to accompany me all day. I mean, I could see the way you looked when Miss Cypress declared the verdict." She grinned.

I kept my cool. "I'm Kieran, Summer. Well, tour guiding isn't really a problem—I've actually done it for lots of students over the years. But considering your clean record and that… angelic demeanor, I'm not sure if a juvenile like me is who you'd want for your companion." I injected a note of amusement in my tone.

She continued to smile. "Clean record huh? And 'angelic' demeanor… Funny you should use such words. Are you sure you wouldn't like to take your shirt off again, Kieran?" she said in a honey-dipped tone.

"You mean you're begging me to?" I shot back, looking straight into her eyes—which was a wrong move, considering the effect she had on me.

But I could see that I had her there for a moment. Her eyes burned into mine.

"Not on your life." She checked the huge clock hanging on the nearby wall. "I'd better look for my class, Kieran. I wouldn't want to be later than I already am." She turned to walk away.

I stared stupidly at her back.

Then on impulse, I started after her. "Wait! Summer!" I jogged to catch up with her. She stopped and looked at me curiously.

"Yes?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Look, this isn't about you, okay? It's about the way Miss Cypress is going to burst the huge vein in her neck when she finds out I didn't escort you like she _commanded_. I mean, her with a bloody death and all is quite entertaining, but really, it isn't my style. I'd much rather—"

"Stop. I get it," she stated amusedly. "And if that's gonna be the way it is, I believe we should be running as fast as we can. Especially you, considering the fact that you have to run to two classrooms, mine and yours."

"Uh, yeah. You're right." Before I could say anything else, she sprinted past me with a laugh.

"Race you!" she called back.

I grinned, hoisted my bag properly on my shoulders, and broke off into a run.


End file.
